Samuel anderson



' dln'itrd 'tates @wat Gettin.

Letters Patent No. 91,589, dated .Tune 22, 1869.

MROVEMENT IN VELOCIPEIES. l

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the name.

To all @hom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL ANDERSON, of' New' Orleans, State of Louisiana, have invented a certain vention, and which, by actual experiment, I have ns.`

certained can be accomplished with it, are threefold:

First, it relieves the legs ofthe rider of the greater part ofthe duty of driving the machine; Secondly, it provides a. means of making the weight of the rider a powerful co-operative agent of propulsion; and,

Thirdly, it increases the speedot the machine vastly beyond what is possible with any existing arrangement of which I have any knowledge.

And my invention consists of a supplemental corn'- hincd -rathet and band-wheel, that is so connected with the rlders seat and the crankpedals and the hind wheel of the machine, which, instead ofthe fi'ont, I make` the driving-wheel, that at regular intervals the weight of the rider can be so applied to it that an enormous measure of power for propulsive purposes is the resultant, whilst at the same time the legs of the rider co-operate to the same end, but yet in such a manner as to involve far less fatigue than is requiredl when they alone drive the machine in its onward course. But 'my invention will be better understood by referring to the drawings.

r A is the hind wheel of the machine, whichI propose to make fivefeet, whilst ithe tion't wheel, B, is only three feet in diameter.

IThese two wheels are united by a connecting double I or str addling-bar, lC, which, at. its rear extremity, is secured by proper journals to the two ends of the axis of wheel A, and at its' other endA to the front wheel B, by meansV of .the guiding orsteeriug vertical-'rod D,

- which passes through it, and, being bifurcated in its lower section E, straddles the said wheel, and is s ecured to its axis, substantially as shown on the draw.-

. A cross-erm, G, of the usual form, alords the means for turning the wheel B, and thus of steering the machine at the pleasure of the rider.

Pendent from the two branches of the bar O are two arms or standards, F F', tosustain the supplemental power-wheel H, whose axis passes through them, and is extended sullciently on both sides to receive the cranks all. This power-wheel is two feet and a half in diameter'.

On the axis of wheel H, and closely contiguous to one side of it, is a pinion or ratchet-wheel, c.

A Vpawl, 1l, that is pivoted on `the power-wheel H, near its perimeter', takes into the teeth of this ratchetwheel, and is kept in contact with thc same by means of a spring, e.

The ratchetwheel rotates independently of the power-wheel H, except when the pawl d takes into the former, and then they move together.

An extension of the ratchet-wheel c constitutes a pulley, three inches in diameter, for a cord, g, which, passing around the same in two crmore convolutions, so as to avoid slipping, is fastened, at one of its ends, to a spring, h, which is secured to thel front part of connecting-bar C, and atits other end to a rear extension 4of the saddle-frame or supporting-bar i.

This saddle-frame is pvoted at the top of a vertical standard, I, projecting from one ofthe sectionsof bar 0, in such manner as to constitute a vibrating lever with one arm projecting in the direction of the rearo the machine, and the other toward its front. l

. 0n' the'front arm the saddle K is placed substantially as shown. l

The length of the cord g is so regulated as to develop just sutlcient tensile `force in `the spring h al-` ways to keep the saddle-frame: in the position shown on the drawing, when the rider is not on the saddle; that is to say,with the rear arm drawn down to its lowest point of declcnsion, and the front arm correspondingly elevated.

To control and fix the extent of the vibration of the lever saddle-frame i, a transverse bent, m, is secured on standard I, 4in such a manner as to arrest the descent of each of the two arms ofthe same atia prescribed point, substantially as shown.

Two pendent arms, n o, are secured respectively to the two sections of the connecting-bar O, in the rear of thependants F F', to which the lever-treadles m and nare pivoted, as shown.

These treadles m `and n are connected with the cranks a and b, by moans of 4elongated 'slots 1 2, and hence present a means, through the agency of their projecting front extremities, by which the power-wheel H is rotated by the pressure of theriders feet on the same.

The power-wheel H is connected with the hind wheel A, by means of a belt, p, which passes over it,

' and also over a pulley, P, that is fixed on the axis of the said wheel A, and is three inches in diameter. The parts are so adjusted, that every time the saddle-end of the lever-framei is depressed, thepowerwheel H will make one revolution-on its axis, and also be so moved as to bring the lever-pedals m n just past their highest point of elevation, which will of course carry rthe rider has only to press on them, eitherby a mere' musculareifort of'.-his legs, or by throwing' vhis weightV onthem, by raising himself' o .the seat,to giveanew A and the machine.

y'the cranks u b, the ratchet-wheel and pulley, on which 'means of propulsion, and also an efiect-ive instrumenwhen no weight is on the saddle, in virtue of. the action I less fatigue than if the propulsion were effected alto legs of the rider are simultaneously used to operatel .y the cranks a b just past their upper dead-'points at 'the l moment thesaddle-end of lever-frame 'l )nies in contact with and is stopped by the cross-bar m, so that impetus -to the power-wheel H, and through it to wheel Under the action of the force derived from the weight' of the rider on the saddle, 4motionis imparted to wheel H through the medium of the ratchet-wheel c but the lever-treadlesV act; directly on said wheel through cord'g operates, remaining motionless whilst lt'h'ey act,

inconsequence of being placed looselyon the axis 'of power-wheel H.

' The crank t', on the axis of wheel A, in connection with pitman u and lever-handle y', which latter, inwill be seen, has a pivot-fulcrnm at W, aiords an additional tality for taking the power-wheel H ofi" ,its dead-points, should it by accident'get on them. y

`learing in mind that the normal position cf the saddle-frame is, always that shown on the drawing.

of,V spring h, the mode of'operation of my invention is l very-easyto understand.

',lhe rider sits on the saddle K', and-puts his feet on the treadIe-levcrs M 'and N, and by alternately raising himself, and then sitting down again, he continuously works the power-wheell H, and through its medium communicates motion to the hind wheel A, and thus drives forward the velocipede at a rate proportionate to the rapidity with which he applies his weight alternately to the saddle and tothe pedals,'and withiar gether by the muscular power of his legs, applied one at a time, in the ordinary manner in-which these nia'-l chines are driven, for it will be seen that both pedals occupy the sameV horizontal plane, and hence that both entre -them under all circumstances land. conditions whatsoever.` .Y l 1t will, moreover, be observed, that in consequence ofthe great diameter of the power-wheel H, and the distance of. the pivot of lthev pawl d from the axis of said wheel relatively to the Adiameter of the pulley P, an enormous measure of power is developed and applied, both by the ridelis seat and by the lever-pedals,

,and that hence a far greater rate of sustainedspeed-s attainable than 'is possible with any mechanical ar-` :rangement that has heretofore been employed in connection withv 'velocipedest` ,I-Iaving thus described my invention,

What i claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`'- y y 1. The application to a two-wheel velocipede ofthe supplemental power-wheel H, when the same iscomley fon the cordg, a'vibrating saddle-flame, i, 'and a spring,.h, substantially in the 'manner herein described.

2.' The above combination and arrangement, in coiny binationfwith pedals; M and N,:when .the latter are constructed and operate substantially as herein described.

3. The combination operating-appliances withlthe double straddling connecting-bar O, when all thepa'rts are constructed-and operate substantially as hereindescribed.' Y

4;'lhe above combination, in .combination with a -handlever,.y, pitman'u, and a crank,`t when these latter parts are constructed .andarranged .snbstantiall y asdescribed. v A

5. The combination of 'ai power-wheel, H, and its operative appliances', with a pulley, P, on the axis of the driving-wheel, and a belt, p, substantially as herein described.

s. ANDERSON.

Witnessesz' V j v)toros R. RHODES,

ELAN. JENKINS.

of va power-wheel, H, and itsl 

